#Restaurants

I’ve been visiting the Rand Club, one of Joburg’s most historic buildings, for years.

I’ve blogged about the club before and gone there for various events, which I always enjoy. But I hadn’t considered joining the Rand Club until last month, while I was getting a pedicure.

Some of the best tacos in Johannesburg are served at a restaurant in Alexandra Township. Who knew?

I certainly didn’t. But luckily I do know Asanda Daza, and Asanda knows everything about food in Alexandra (a.k.a. Alex).

A couple of Sundays ago, Thorsten and I were finished hiking the Kloofendal Nature Reserve and looking for a place to eat. We were in Roodepoort – an area neither of us know well, dominated by big shopping centers – and had no idea where to go. Thorsten drove as I aimlessly searched Google Maps for interesting restaurants.

Ever since I moved to Joburg I’ve been driving past a shabby restaurant building across from the Westdene Dam, at the corner of Lewes Road and Motor Street. The restaurant used to be a Portuguese place called Tasca do Sol and once looked vaguely intriguing, with a wide patio and a retro, 70s/80s vibe. But it was never quite intriguing enough for me to actually go.

Ludwig’s Roses, a huge rose farm north of Pretoria that has been running for more than 50 years, had been on my radar screen for a while. Several people told me I should visit, but that I must go at the height of summer when the roses are all in full bloom. Somehow the summers kept passing and I kept forgetting to put Ludwig’s in my “to-blog” list.

A few days ago, I received a hot tip from my friend Debjeet about a Korean corn dog place in Boksburg called Mustardbox 713.